ss Lia Thomas was annoyed after many people she met on the street kept calling her “handsome guy.” This reportedly hurt Thomas’s pride, so she launched a new campaign to defend herself legally

In a bold move that has reignited debates over transgender rights and public discourse, former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas has announced the launch of a new legal campaign aimed at combating what she describes as widespread misgendering and harassment in everyday public interactions.

The campaign, dubbed “Respect My Identity,” comes in response to a series of personal encounters where strangers on the street reportedly addressed Thomas as a “handsome guy,” leaving the trailblazing athlete feeling deeply hurt and undermined in her pride.

Thomas, who made history in 2022 as the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I national championship in swimming, has long been a polarizing figure in discussions about gender identity in sports and society.

However, this latest initiative shifts the focus from athletic competition to the personal toll of public misgendering. Sources close to Thomas reveal that the incidents began escalating in recent months, particularly as she navigated daily life in urban areas following her high-profile legal battles over swimming eligibility.

“One day, I was just walking down the street in Philadelphia, grabbing coffee like anyone else,” Thomas reportedly shared in a private statement leaked to supporters.

“This group of people passed by and one of them shouted, ‘Hey, handsome guy!’ I turned around thinking it was for someone else, but they were looking right at me, laughing. It happened again a week later in a park—someone catcalling me as if I were a man.

These aren’t isolated; it’s constant. It hurts my pride deeply because I’ve fought so hard to live authentically as a woman.”

The annoyance stemming from these encounters, according to insiders, reached a boiling point late last year.

Thomas, known for her resilience amid intense media scrutiny and legal challenges—including a 2024 loss at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against World Aquatics’ policies barring her from elite women’s competitions—decided that passive endurance was no longer an option. “Enough is enough,” a spokesperson for the campaign stated.

“Lia has endured years of dehumanizing commentary online and in the press, but when it invades your personal space on the street, it becomes intolerable.”

The “Respect My Identity” campaign is multifaceted, combining legal action with public awareness efforts.

At its core is a proposed class-action lawsuit targeting what Thomas’s legal team calls “systemic misgendering as a form of discrimination.” The suit, filed in federal court in Pennsylvania, argues that intentional misgendering in public constitutes harassment under existing civil rights laws, potentially violating protections against gender-based discrimination.

Lawyers representing Thomas are seeking injunctions against repeat offenders, as well as damages for emotional distress.

“This isn’t about silencing free speech,” clarified lead attorney Elena Marquez in a press release. “It’s about holding individuals accountable when their words cross into deliberate harm. Calling a transgender woman ‘handsome guy’ isn’t a mistake—it’s a weaponized denial of her identity, especially when done mockingly in public.

We’re exploring extensions of Title VII and state anti-discrimination statutes to cover these street-level incidents.”

The campaign also includes a digital component: an app and hotline for transgender individuals to report misgendering encounters, with the goal of gathering data for broader litigation.

Partnerships with LGBTQ+ advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD are in the works to amplify the message through social media challenges and educational PSAs. Billboards in major cities are planned, featuring Thomas’s image with slogans like “My Name Is Lia. My Pronouns Are She/Her. Respect Costs Nothing.”

Supporters hail the move as a necessary evolution in transgender rights. “Lia Thomas has already paved the way in sports; now she’s leading in everyday dignity,” said activist Sarah McBride, a prominent transgender politician. “These street incidents aren’t harmless jokes—they erode mental health and reinforce societal transphobia.

Her campaign could set precedents that protect all trans people from casual cruelty.”

Critics, however, view the initiative as an overreach. Conservative commentators argue that it infringes on free speech and casual observation. “People on the street aren’t mind readers,” opined talk show host Tucker Carlson in a recent segment.

“If someone appears masculine and gets called ‘handsome guy,’ that’s just human error or honesty—not a crime. Launching lawsuits over pronouns feels like another step toward policing thoughts.”

The debate echoes Thomas’s past controversies. Her swimming career thrust her into the national spotlight, where she faced accusations of unfair advantage due to her pre-transition male physiology. Despite complying with NCAA rules at the time, including hormone therapy, Thomas endured protests, boycotts, and intense online vitriol.

Recent developments, such as the University of Pennsylvania’s 2025 decision to remove her records amid pressure from new federal guidelines on women’s sports, only added to her public struggles.

Yet, Thomas insists this campaign is personal, not political. In a rare public comment shared via her team’s website, she stated: “I’ve lost titles, faced bans, and dealt with locker room discomfort claims. But nothing stings like being reduced to a ‘guy’ by strangers who don’t know my journey.

My pride as a woman has been attacked one too many times. This legal fight is for me—and for every trans person who’s smiled through the pain of being misseen.”

As the lawsuit progresses, experts predict it could reach the Supreme Court, potentially redefining the boundaries of gender expression protections versus free expression. Legal scholars note parallels to cases involving workplace misgendering but highlight the novelty of applying such claims to anonymous street interactions.

Public reaction has been swift and divided. Social media trends like #RespectLiaThomas and #FreeSpeechOverPronouns have amassed millions of posts. Petitions supporting the campaign have garnered over 100,000 signatures in days, while counter-petitions decry it as “pronoun tyranny.”

For Thomas, now in her late 20s and pursuing advocacy full-time, the campaign represents empowerment. “I was annoyed at first—then angry, then determined,” she reflected. “Hurt pride can be a powerful motivator. If this helps even one person feel seen as their true self, it’s worth it.”

As “Respect My Identity” gains momentum, it underscores the ongoing cultural reckoning with transgender visibility.

Whether it succeeds in court or sparks legislative changes remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: Lia Thomas is once again at the forefront of a national conversation, this time defending not her place in the pool, but her place in the world as a woman.